The World’s Official Kilogram Appears To Be Slimming Down

During the summer months, it is great to be slimming down and getting your beach body; however, when it comes to standardized models for weight measurement, this is not so great. The ‘Le Grand K’, made from platinum and iridium alloy, was created in 1879 to serve as the international prototype for the weight of a kilogram and is now starting to shed some of that standardized mass.

While the loss may not be significant enough for another 10 or 20 years, it is still a cause for alarm as researchers scramble to redefine how the regulate the metric system. The kilogram serves as a sort of keystone for not only the metric system but many other scientific units of measurement, like the joule and candela. Essentially, if the kilogram falls then the measurements based around it start to fall and pretty soon the world is left in the chaos of US customary units.

When the world’s most precise template of measurement is at risk, the entire scientific community is at risk. Hopefully, with astounding amount of technology available, someone can find a solution to this problematic prototype soon.